Criminals

This came to mind on the Mets owners lose their shirts thread, but anyone else kind of surprised so many people got taken for so much money in New York this week. And I'm talking about the former NASDAQ head who helped make $50 Billion disappear as well as the well-connected attorney who is accused of stealiing more than $35 Million, and even Kevin Trudeau, that guy who is selling books on infomercials late at night. Trudeau has an extensive record of fraud and yet station after station continue to accept money from this guy to peddle his wares. Isn't this like selling condoms to a serial rapist?
The guy is a piece of work, his pitch is always the same - He has information The Establishment doesn't want you to know about.
And yet, the local news orgs are full of stories about local "grinches" who broke into a car and stole Christmas presents.

There were a series of very good political novels written in the 1970s by the late Drew Pearson, a muckraking columnist for the Washington Post. The character was a corrupt U.S. Senator, who later bought his way into the White House. There's a scene where he is lecturing his young chief of staff on the perception of theft in society. I believe I'm quoting this as accurately as memory will allow:

"If you're going to steal, steal a real pile. Steal 10 million. People can't relate to that. But don't get caught with a stolen TV set. That, they can understand and relate to."